Stoneybrook Reunion: The Baby-Sitters Club Book Club – Details, episodes & analysis

Claudia and Dawn have taken a sailing class and are planning a race to Greenpoint Island off the coast of Connecticut. They set sail with snacks, small children, and egos in tow, only to encounter a massive storm. After Dawn’s boat capsizes, the group ends up shipwrecked on an unknown island. While chaos ensues back in Stoneybrook, Dawn and Claudia– along with Jeff, Becca, Jamie Newton, and Haley Braddock– put their survival skills to the test and create a makeshift home on “Nine O’Clock Island.” Should they build a raft? Will their giant shell letters get them rescued? Will they actually have to eat– gross– fish to survive? Join us as we discover who does and does not rise to the occasion in the truly bonkers Super Special #4: Baby-Sitters’ Island Adventure. 

Island pooping media: 

Slate article about Bachelor in Paradise “Poopgate” storyline

Entertainment Weekly article about Survivor season 46 contestant Liz’s poop journey

Reading list: 

•The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder,by David Grann

•Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and her Crew, by Brian Hicks

Just a note to say we’ll be back soon!

As the McGill gals settle into their new old house and start to clear forgotten treasures from the attic, neighbor Mal scores a most handsome trunk and finds evidence of a kindred spirit (possibly from the spirit world) within. Join hands with us at the seance table (but leave the offensive costume and behavior behind, Kristy) as we learn the distinction between journals and diaries, which of the sitters are believers in or skeptics of ghoulies and ghosties, and what an inspiring reading tutor junior officer Pike is in Mallory and the Mystery Diary.

Media recommendations from this week's episode:

Season 1 of Yellowjackets (2021)

Now and Then (1995)

About The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (2025)

The one thing Mallory maybe missed the mark on:

GOOPS and How to be Them by Gelett Burgess (1900)

Share tuna casserole recipes with us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

As Mr. and Mrs. McGills’ relationship unravels, Stacey finds herself caught in the fray and, after several failed attempts to Parent Trap her mom and dad into reconciling, confronts a big decision: should she stay in New York in her father’s pre-war bachelor pad, or leave the city yet again to live with her mother in Stoneybrook suburbia? 

Pile into the backseat of the McGill’s station wagon with us (and Claudia) as we house-hunt and spend some time in the mind of America’s Favorite Baby-sitter (as of 1989) in Welcome Back, Stacey! (What a tell-all title.)

As mentioned on this episode:

How we picture Laine (Elizabeth Perkins in Big (1988))

Another gal we love with a taxi cab wardrobe palette 

The Brave Little Toaster (1987)

Did you ever decline an Oreo and braid hair instead at a sleepover? Tell us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

Find us (and a picture of the much-discussed cover) on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

We’ll be back next week!

Child celeb Derek Masters returns to Stoneybrook from L.A., and–guess what–his parents need a sitter. In keeping with an emerging pattern for Jessi-centric books, stars align for her to take on most of the gigs with the new charge, and she and the BSC help him process some setbacks at school and settle back into everyday suburban Connecticut life. Derek returns the favor by coaching Jessi through a series of high-stakes auditions for Swan Lake, and even has her considering new outlets for her performative (and workaholic) energies…

Microwave your Kid Cuisine of choice, then join us and the fam in front of the TV for some appointment viewing and conversation as we revisit Jessi and the Superbrat.

As mentioned on this episode:

A bit of what Jan Carr has been up to since 1989, plus a couple media references that Karen brought to mind with her play and costume choices:

The Muppet Movie (1979)

Dressed up E.T.

Send us pointers on how to make it in *showbiz* at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com. 

Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Claudia has long grappled with her grandmother’s declining health, but is still unprepared for the moment that she actually passes away. Luckily, she can lean on her artwork and her friends in the BSC. Join us for a celebration of Mimi’s life (and a bit of papier-mâché art therapy) as we navigate Claudia and the Sad Goodbye. 

We'd love to hear from you! Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion, or email us at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

It’s ten o’clock. Do you know where your kitten is? Though Mary Anne may have shaken off the chain letter curse back in Book 17, her bad luck (and ominous mail streak) continues in her next spin as narrator when her beloved pet goes missing and her usually exemplary boyfriend turns distant and moody in Book 25: Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger.

Grab a flashlight and a stack of posters from Mrs. Brewer’s office Xerox and head out with us and our return guest Tim as we hunt for the littlest tiger-striped cat and encounter local kids LARPing as cops and criminals along the way. 

Age-Inappropriate Watchlist for Stoneybrook Children

Magnum, P.I.

Matlock

COPS

Are the Brunos a problem family? Do trees grow in fields and make for good hiding spots? Add your two cents at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

Find us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion, and more from Tim at alternateending.com.

It’s springtime in Stoneybrook, and Mother’s Day looms large in the minds of our baby-sitters– with glances askance to Mary Anne, of course. Kristy’s Idea Brain comes up with a gift for their clients: a day off for the moms while the BSC takes charge of their kids. Join us at the Sudsy’s Carnival midway and please try not to barf as we, like Kristy, are pleasantly distracted from what turns out to be the *real* surprise of Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise.

<br>

This episode’s pop culture deep cuts and rabbit holes:

• For the carnival curious: According to Wikipedia, the term “midway games” originated at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.

• Vintage V8 and Sunny D commercials

• “Side by Side” from Richie Rich (1994)

After a slumber party send-off, Dawn spends spring break in Orange County with her father and brother and tries on a more laid-back lifestyle among many other blondes making similar snack (but questionable beach) choices. Dawn considers what her quotidian routine would be like if she decides to stay, and whether the abundant sunshine and other items on the California pros list win out over the few on the Stoneybrook one. 

Slide into the booth beside us at Cabbages and Kings as we hash over pizza fouls, flight attendant fails, and preferred alternatives to LAX in our review of Dawn on the Coast.

As mentioned on this episode:

Sardi’s portraits artists: Alex Gard, John Mackey, Donald Bevan, and Richard Baratz

A glimpse of the TV-on-a-cart scene from Back to the Future (1985)

List of BSC books written by Ann M. Martin and other authors

A brief fan history of Bear Country at Disneyland, and changes to that area of the park since 1989